MONICA: I can’t believe it’s really you . . . 

JAKE: I can’t believe you’re actually here, in Point Mystic. 

MONICA: How did you even get here? 

JAKE [smirking]: Same way you did: through a door. 

MONICA: I feel like I’ve been doing that for fucking ever. Met lots of interesting people, visited some really crazy fucking places. But never found you. Though I got close once . . . 

JAKE: You did? How do you know? 

MONICA: The porcelain lily. 

[Gasp of shock from Jake.] 

MONICA: Well, half of the porcelain lily that you told them to put in that lockbox. 

JAKE [Absolute shock]: Oh my god, you found it. It really got to you. That’s incredible. I never really expected it to work. It was totally a Back to the Future move. 

MONICA [Not believing him]: Never expected it to work? Really? JAKE: Okay, I was really hoping, but was never certain. But it did work. Here’s my piece. 

MONICA: Yep. And they fit. 

[Porcelain scratching sound]

JAKE: Just like us. 

MONICA: That’s fucking terrible. But I’m going to allow it, because you’re as wiped as I am, I’m sure. 

JAKE: Not all it’s chalked up to be? 

MONICA: And now I want to punch you. That didn’t take long at all. It might even be a record for you, Jakey. 

JAKE: I try. 

MONICA: So how did you know I was here? 

JAKE: Once I arrived, I got introduced to Christopher. He wanted to interview about how I ended up in Point Mystic. I said sure and told himmy story. And then he asked me if I was looking for someone. That’s when I started getting excited. Then he told me you were here. 

MONICA: Did he say where to find me? 

JAKE: No. He basically just said go walking around the town. You’ll findher. 

MONICA: [Snort] Typical of him. He told me the same thing, essentially. So I just started walking around. Eventually I saw there was a lighthouse andgot drawn to it. Wanted to check it out. 

JAKE: That was the first thing I noticed. I figured I’d give it a shot and then started searching the rest of the town. But I wasn’t worried. I’m not under a time limit here. 

MONICA: Yeah, me neither. I don’t know what it is. Is it something about

MONICA: Yeah, me neither. I don’t know what it is. Is it something about Ostium this place? Point Mystic. It’s pretty unique. 

JAKE: Yeah. Has a kind of magical feel to it, like it’s not quite real. A place you’ve got to find for yourself. And it’s not on any map. Nobody outside of town really knows about it. 

MONICA: Kinda sounds like a certain other place we found. 

JAKE: Yeah. No kidding. But Ostium feels a long way off from here. MONICA: It sure does. 

JAKE: Maybe it’s because we finally found each other. That’s why we don’t have to leave anymore, or at least right away. 

MONICA: Could be. 

[Short pause] 

JAKE: Why did you come after me? 

MONICA: Are you kidding? I had to Jake. I wasn’t going to let you fucking leave me behind again. Plus I knew the state you were in. I needed to do whatever I could to try and get to you and help you. I wouldn’t let anything hold me back. Nothing could stop me. I wasn’t going to take no for an answer from anyone. I just wasn’t going to let it happen. 

JAKE: Well, I could say something about how much it means to me to hear that, but words wouldn’t do it justice. But I appreciate it. More than youwill ever know. 

MONICA: You sure about that? 

JAKE: Yes. Undoubtedly. Wholeheartedly.

MONICA: Okay. Good. So what’s next for us? 

JAKE: I figured we’d go through a few more doors, check out a couple more worlds, and see what’s happening. 

MONICA: Sounds good to me. 

[Beat] 

JAKE: Seriously? 

MONICA: Fuck no, Jake. I’m done doing that. I want to get back to Ostium. Some-fucking-how. And then take a really long nap. 

JAKE: That sounds . . . really great to me. Let’s make it happen. MONICA: Do you know how? 

JAKE: No, not really. But I have an idea . . . well, more of an inkling. Do you have all the talismans from the different worlds you visited? MONICA: You betcha. 

JAKE: Good. I think they’re going to be important. So, step one is . . . MONICA: Go through a door? 

JAKE: You guessed it. How about that one? 

MONICA: The lighthouse? 

JAKE: Yeah. It’s the closest one to us. No reason not to use it. MONICA: Sounds good to me. 

JAKE: Good. And I’m going to need to hold your hand. I feel like that’s part of it. 

MONICA [Serious]: Okay Jake.

[Old squeaking door opening, then closing.] 

[Break] 

JAKE: Where are we? 

MONICA: Somewhere dark and stuffy. 

JAKE: Let me see if I can find a light switch. 

[Click sound] 

MONICA: Oh my god. We’re fucking back baby! 

JAKE: Holy shit. It’s the clock tower. We’re inside. 

[Door opening] 

JAKE: Okay, I can’t really see much outside, but I can see shadows of buildings, and the hintings of streets. Yep. We’re definitely back in Ostium. Fucking-A. 

MONICA: You ready for some grub? 

JAKE: Shit, yes. I’m starving. Let’s get cooking. 

[Short pause] 

[Eating sounds: utensils on plates] 

MONICA: So, I know it’s a big fucking step that we’re back here, but we still need to get back to the Ostium Network. Somehow. 

JAKE: I know. 

MONICA: We need to get back to Steve. He’s probably worried shitless about us. And . . . I really miss him too. 

JAKE: Yeah, I do as well. I’ve got the stirrings of an idea, but not till the

JAKE: Yeah, I do as well. I’ve got the stirrings of an idea, but not till the morning. Once we’re done eating, it’s time to get a good night’s sleep. MONICA: Shit. Yes! That sounds wonderful. And in the morning a hot shower! 

JAKE: Perfect. After sleep, a shower, and some breakfast we’ll be able to think a lot clearer and I should have the plan all worked out by then. MONICA: And I’m not gonna set an alarm. 

JAKE: Hell no! 

[Break] 

JAKE: 

We get a really good night’s sleep. We shower . . . together, but that’s all the detail I’m giving about it. We have a hearty breakfast and clean up, and then we’re ready. I lead Monica to the map table. 

JAKE: I need you to put all your trinkets on the map table, in no particular order. But hold on to the porcelain lily. 

MONICA: Okay. 

JAKE: 

Monica does so. Then I do the same, keeping my porcelain lily. Nothing happens. 

MONICA: Is this right? 

JAKE: I think so. Just going through the steps of my plan here. Not sure if anything’s going to actually happen, we’ll see. 

MONICA: Okay.

JAKE: 

I then place my porcelain lily in the center of the map table. 

JAKE: Now you place yours, joining up with mine, so they’re one. JAKE: 

Monica slowly does so. 

Then we stand. 

And watch. 

And wait. 

[Short pause] 

[Porcelain clicking sound] 

The sound of the pieces joining makes us both jump. We move closer and soon have our arms wrapped around each other. Comforting. Then a rumbling begins. I feel Monica tighten with fear. I do too, a little, but I recognize the rumbling as different from the earthquake we experienced so long ago in Ostium. 

The rumbling increases, then there’s a bright flash of light that blinds us both. 

[Electric fizzle sound] 

I open my eyes once again and can see nothing at first. Dread races up my body like rising icy water as I wonder if I’ve gone blind from the flash, but then details come back into my vision and I know I’m going to be okay. Thirty seconds later we’re looking at each other. We’re both okay. Our

Thirty seconds later we’re looking at each other. We’re both okay. Our sight back to normal. Mostly. 

We look down at the map table. 

All the trinkets are gone. 

MONICA: Was that it? 

JAKE: I don’t know. 

MONICA: Do you think it was enough? Can we leave Ostium now and get back to Gibraltar? 

JAKE: No clue. Maybe. 

MONICA: There’s only one way to find out. 

JAKE: 

She leads me out the clock tower and down the street. We’re walking really fast, then she starts running and I do too. We’re running hard until we make it to the gates. Those very same iron gates I looked upon the first time I arrived at Ostium. 

There’s no padlock in sight. 

Together we push the gates open and they swing easily and without sound.

On the other side is not endless blackness, a chasm of emptiness and despair. 

Instead there’s a rectangular black doorway. Then there’s that fizzle sound again. 

[Electric fizzle]

And I can start to see something. Details on the other side of that doorway. It looks like it might be the inside of that lab or whatever it was where they kept the door to Ostium. The one that was in the Ostium Network. The one that Steve first went through. And then Monica. 

But I’m not certain. 

I look to Monica. She looks at me. 

She’s not certain either. Then she gives me a shrug. I nod and take her hand. 

[Pause] 

We step through the doorway.

Point Mystic Interviews #68, #71

[Sound of tape recorder starting. Ambient sound of a coffee shop in the background]

CHRISTOPHER: Testing 1-2-3. This is – hold on – interview #68 in my investigation into how and why people are finding their way to the place known as Point Mystic. 

MONICA: Is this going to be on your radio show? Point Mystic?

CHRISTOPHER: You’ve heard of the show?

MONICA: No. (pause) I mean I’ve heard of the place.  

CHRISTOPHER: I’m not necessarily going to use this interview for the show – I’ve been investigating this question for a long time. What Point Mystic is. Why it calls people. You could say searching for Point Mystic started all of this – inspired the show.

[Break (Music begins) ]

Sixty Eight interviews of how people found their way to Point Mystic. So far the common thread is this: Most people who find this place feel they have been called here. For what reason, we do not know. It is a mystery that binds us together. 

To many who come to Point Mystic, it is more than a town. It’s a refuge. A place of escape. Wherever they’re coming from – other towns, other countries . . . other worlds – they’re often trying to get somewhere safe. Whatever has happened to them, it’s enough to push them away from somewhere they used to call home, but is no longer. Sometimes they have heard of the legend of Point Mystic and are seeking this place, and sometimes they are simply running away from someplace else and find themselves here. It doesn’t matter. This place doesn’t judge. It opens its doors and lets them in.

These interviews that my partner Marguerite and I have recorded investigating how people find their way to Point Mystic span back years, a map of our own journey to find the way back to Point Mystic. But we aren’t the only ones to have felt the call and found the doorway open. Whatever force is calling people to Point Mystic. It’s accelerating.  

[Break]

CHRISTOPHER: Can I have you state your name?

MONICA: Monica Chase.

CHRISTOPHER: How did you find Point Mystic, Monica?

MONICA: I wasn’t looking for Point Mystic. If anything, it found me. I’ve been traveling for a long time now. Going through lots of doors to different worlds. But never staying for long.

CHRISTOPHER: Is Point Mystic different from other places you’ve visited?

MONICA: I’m not sure yet, I’ve only just arrived. But I think so. There’s something about this place I haven’t felt with the other places I’ve seen. I don’t want to be disparaging to those worlds, some of them were pretty fucking bleak. 

CHRISTOPHER: People who find their way here have usually been through a lot. Speak however you like. I just want the truth.

MONICA: Good. I can do the truth. I have been through a lot – seen a lot. This place here just feels . . . purer. More real? That probably doesn’t make a lot of sense. Different from all the other worlds I’ve seen. I’ve also had this . . . ability, for lack of a better word, which tells me how long I have left in each world and when I need to leave.

CHRISTOPHER: Like … a countdown?

MONICA: Yeah. As if I’m on borrowed time when I’m there and when that time is all used up I need to get the fuck out of there.

CHRISTOPHER: What do you think would’ve happened if you had stayed in one of those worlds beyond the deadline?

MONICA: Huh. Good question. Hadn’t really thought about it. I’ve just been running nonstop and I’ve never taken the time to even consider it. But I’d have to say . . . maybe I’d be stuck there. Whatever was letting me go through doors on to other worlds would stop. Be severed. And that would be it. I’d have to stay there for the rest of my life. Or maybe it’s worlds themselves that are ending. And if I think back to that last world where most of the planet was dead . . . Yeah, it’s a chilling thought. 

CHRISTOPHER: You aren’t the first person to tell me something like this. And you don’t sense this feeling with Point Mystic? No countdown?

MONICA: No. It’s really weird. It wasn’t exactly a ticking clock in my head, but the mental equivalent. It was always there. Letting me know. And now it’s just not. It’s just gone. Maybe it’s a safe place. For now.

CHRISTOPHER: Are you going to remain in Point Mystic, for as long as it feels safe?

MONICA: I don’t know yet. I guess we’ll see. It’s nice to have the fucking choice for once. Does everyone stay?

CHRISTOPHER: Some people move on, some choose to stay – if they feel called to. Do you feel called?

MONICA: I don’t know. Doesn’t really matter if I did. Point Mystic is not what I came searching for through all these worlds. 

CHRISTOPHER: Why were you going through the doors?

MONICA: [Laugh] Good question. I’m looking for someone. The love of my life, Jake. He got lost through a doorway in a place called Ostium. 

CHRISTOPHER: You’ve seen Ostium?

MONICA: You’ve heard of it?

CHRISTOPHER: The empty town of doorways in Northern California? Yea. I’ve been there. Investigating the supernatural is what our radio show is about. 

MONICA: Maybe you can help me then. (Breathes)

We were in this dark place fighting for our lives, and Jake had rescued what we thought was a monster, but was in fact a helpless thing that didn’t know what was happening to it. And… It’s so fucking stupid… Jake opens up a doorway to bring us back to Ostium. It took everything he had left in him to do it. He sent me and that poor fucking thing back through the doorway. And he didn’t leave any strength left for himself. Jake tried to bring himself through the door. He tried. He screwed it up. The door closed on him and now he’s lost out there somewhere. In time.  He’s dissapeared on me a few times in the past and I wasn’t fucking having it this time. So I went after him. I went through another doorway — I didn’t care to where, or how dangerous — and I went after him. And I’ve been trying to find him ever since.

CHRISTOPHER: I’m sorry. I almost lost my son, Fox, through a doorway. I would have done the same as you, jumped down the rabbit hole after him,  if he hadn’t come out of it. (Pause) Have you considered if Jake might have ended up here in Point Mystic?

MONICA: Not till you just said that. Huh. I guess it’s possible. CHRISTOPHER: I’d look for him here.

MONICA: Do people drawn to Point Mystic magically find what they are looking for?

CHRISTOPHER: No… No they don’t. But they usually find what they need.

MONICA: So how should I look? Start walking around town? Put up WANTED fliers? Yell his name from the fucking mountain tops?

CHRISTOPHER: There’s a lighthouse at the end of the point. A lot of people who try to find Point Mystic end up at the guesthouse. I’ll take you there. There’s someone else I’m supposed to interview there today. You are the third person to find your way here this week that I know of.

MONICA: Is his name Jake?

CHRISTROPHER: Who?

MONICA: The person you are interviewing.

CHRISTOPHER: Sorry, no. It’s someone named Logan. Found his way to Point Mystic through a crossroads in the middle of Georgia, of all places. I haven’t met a Jake. He could be here. I mean people come and go from Point Mystic all the time. There are many doors. Come with me. 

MONICA: You know what? I’m good. I think I’m going to just sit here and finish my coffee. Maybe he’s here in Point Mystic. Maybe he’s not. But you’re right about one thing. There are many doors.  

CHRISTOPHER: I really, do hope you find him, Monica. If not here, then somewhere. Calliope rents rooms upstairs if you’d rather stay in town. 

MONICA: If you see a guy walking around looking for someone named Monica, you’ll let me know, right?

CHRISTOPHER: I will .Thank you for speaking with me. And really – Monica, if you need help, call me. 

MONICA: Thank you… really. It’s all fucked up. But you and everyone I’ve met here have been kind. And it’s been a real long time since I could just sit with a cup of coffee and look at the ocean, and not wonder when my time was up.

[Sound of tape recorder stopping]

—-

(Break)

[Sound of tape recorder starting. Ambient sound of room interior or exterior, ocean waves in the distance]

CHRISTOPHER: Testing, Testing. This is interview #70? –  71. Subject appeared out of thin air right outside the lighthouse. 

JAKE: Could we speed this up? I’ve got a lot of questions for you, too. Like where the hell I am. 

CHRISTOPHER: Look you’re safe. You’re in Point Mystic, at a lighthouse called The Light at the End of the World… that draws people to it. I know this is all probably pretty confusing. Do you know how you got here?

JAKE: I went through a door and ended up here, outside this lighthouse.

CHRISTOPHER: What kind of door?

JAKE: Standard bathroom door in an abandoned McDonalds.

CHRISTOPHER: Does that usually happen when you go through doors?

JAKE: Normal people, not so much. Me: par for the course. It’s kind of my thing. I’m a time traveler of sorts, and traveler of many worlds at this point, I guess. In the past twenty-four hours – though time is kind of blurring for me right now – I’ve gone through so many doors and visited so many places I can’t keep count. This place is definitely nicer than most I’ve seen. 

CHRISTOPHER: So you weren’t looking for it?

JAKE: No, not exactly but it does feel like something was leading me here, if that makes any sense. 

CHRISTOPHER: Do you know what that is?

JAKE: A sensation that’s been pulling me forward?  I knew it was real as soon as I arrived because it stops here. This place is not like the others. It’s . . . freeing. Unencumbered. It’s hard to put into words exactly, and not all those places I went through were necessarily bad, though some of them definitely had their downsides. Like the guy who went kind of crazy at the end and wanted to kill me. But this place, even though I haven’t been here very long, I can tell things are different. I feel . . . I know it’s a weird way to put it, but I feel at home here. There’s also one other big change.

CHRISTOPHER: What’s that?

JAKE: I don’t have to leave. The thing that’s been calling me — it’s here. Is it this place? 

CHRISTOPHER:  It might be. Is your name Jake? 

JAKE [Shock]: Yes! How did you know?

CHRISTOPHER: I think you should come with me. There’s someone here in town, who’s looking for you. 

[Sound of tape stopping]

PRAGMA NARRATION: 

From the moment I open my eyes, I know it is going to be a rough day. Another one of my down days. One of the really down days, when I just need to get away from everyone for a while. My mother, even though she is the queen of the realm, and technically I am a subject of Namaste and therefore a subject of hers, understands what I’ve gone through. She gave birth to me. She knows me; she understands my moods, even at her advanced age. She may be frail and need help going from room to room, but her mind is still there in its entirety. Not a single one of her advisers can sneak anything by her. Not that they try, but every once in a while they will make an attempt. And fail. It can be quite amusing if you are in attendance and get to watch. 

But back to me and my current not so good mental state. I have my duties as the daughter of the queen; everyday duties as I am in training and preparation to take the throne once she passes or perhaps abdicates. ThoughI am almost fully convinced she will simply stop breathing one day, as she sits on her throne, dealing with her subjects and controlling the law and order within her realm. Her heart will just stop and that will be that. 

It only takes a single message via my favorite attendee, Nessie, to my mother, and I am free to do as I please for the day. She knows. I know. I believe everyone in the palace must know by now.

[SHORT PAUSE] 

They know my heart is broken. Torn asunder. When I lost her. When . . . I lost my Thyra. The full moon of Gammá is almost upon us once more, and it was right before the full moon of Etá when Thýra left Albion. For good? For ever? I know not. I surely hope not. No! I have to believe it not to be so. She will return to me one day. And we will be reunited. Finally. Oh, how my heart will sing and my eyes will run when that day comes. 

Thýra was taken. That is what I have been told and what I now believe. It is what the one witness who saw it happen told me. Thýra was taken through a portal; an opening in reality. I read the truth in the witness’s eyes as she told me. She didn’t see who it was, but she saw what happened. Saw that Thýra was taken and then the rupture closed up like it had never been. I immediately began to research, once again with the invaluable help of Nessie, and we found a few instances of something like this occurring, but they took place three hundred, and over a thousand years ago, respectively. I cannot put my complete and full belief in those ancient entries. But it is better than knowing nothing. It . . . it gives me hope. It has happened before; it has happened recently; and eventually it will happen again. 

I have hope. But that does not mean that these days where I feel I will remain alone for the rest of my life get any easier. 

So today I am spending my time alone. To think and wonder. 

[SOUNDS OF A BOAT, WATER, ROPES, A SAIL BEING RAISED] PRAGMA NARRATION: 

The waters have always been a refuge for me. My place of escape, but also of rest and relaxation. A place that always brings me calm. I have had this wee sailing vessel since I was a child. My father taught me to sail and nowI feel just as at home on the waters as I do walking the marbled floors of the palace. And on a day like today, I need escape more than ever. 

I head out into the open waters, away from my home, with no particular direction in mind. Naturally, when you are sailing, there are only so many directions one can go as the prevailing wind allows. But after a short while, I pull on the tiller and alter course, heading for a small island I have visited on occasion. It is uninhabited by Albions, but lush with flora and fauna. In many ways it is an extension of the quiet, calm waters: a place of dry land and solitude where one can reflect and contemplate. 

Except today things are different. 

I can see someone standing on the shore of the island looking right at me. She is dressed in most unique clothing; I’ve never seen material like this before. The colors are all different. Wrong in some way. One might even say alien. 

But I am not about to let this intruder significantly alter my day. I am also as curious as the proverbial seabat. 

[CRUNCH OF BOAT HULL BEING PULLED UP ON A GRAVEL BEACH] MONICA: 

I’m sorry, is this your island? 

PRAGMA: 

In a way . . . I suppose. It belongs to the realm of Namaste, and my mother is queen of this realm. 

MONICA: 

Dang! I’m in the presence of royalty. Talking with a real life princess. I’m honored, your majesty. 

PRAGMA: 

I am unfamiliar with that last word, and detest the word princess. My role in serving as the daughter of the queen is far greater than that. MONICA: 

Shit, I’m sorry. I should really watch what I say, since I’m in a whole new place again and all that. 

PRAGMA: 

You are a visitor here? I have traveled the many ends of the realmin my years and seen many. But not you. I have also frequented this island on a number of occasions. You are new here. 

MONICA: 

You got me. I’m . . . from another place. Far, far away. Really fucking far. Different time too.

PRAGMA: 

And how did you reach Albion, and by turn, Namaste, if you are from somewhere so distant? 

MONICA: 

Good question. Let’s just say I come from a place where there are many doors that take you to anywhere and anywhen. Well, I’ve been traveling through those doors, from one to another, looking for someone. And nowI’ve ended up here. In Albion I believe you said? 

PRAGMA: 

Yes. The world of Albion. 

MONICA: 

And I can see you have two moons. That’s pretty dope. Tatooine style, only lunar and not solar. 

PRAGMA: 

So far I have yet to comprehend any of your references. 

MONICA: 

That’s okay. Don’t feel bad. I get that a lot. 

PRAGMA: 

The person you are looking for? You must care deeply for him. To travel so far. Do you feel you are getting closer? 

MONICA: 

To be honest, I don’t have a fucking clue. But yes. He is . . . my love. My heart. And I very much want to find him. 

PRAGMA: 

I too know of the pain you speak. The pain of loss. I too lost my heart. When she was taken from this world. Not too long ago. And each day is agony for me. 

MONICA: 

Damn. I’m so sorry. I’d say it gets easier, but it hasn’t yet for me. PRAGMA: 

Nor I. However, I do find it interesting, perhaps even serendipitous, that you appear to have a similar mode of travel as that through which my Thýra was taken. 

MONICA: 

Thýra? That’s a beautiful name. She could open doors like I can? PRAGMA: 

I know not. But she was taken through a door. Against her will. And she is one of the Circe. 

MONICA: 

The Circe? 

PRAGMA: 

They are the sorceresses of this world, who wield much power, but always for good. 

MONICA:

[SAID SLOWLY:] 

Sorceress? 

[NORMAL PACE, SERIOUS:] 

What color are her eyes? 

PRAGMA: 

What a strange question to ask . . . 

MONICA: 

It’s important. 

PRAGMA: 

A dark violet. 

MONICA: 

Just violet? What about the left eye? 

PRAGMA: 

[ALSO SERIOUS:] 

Her left eye . . . her left eye possesses a speck of silver; a sparkle. MONICA: 

[EXCITED:] 

Yes! It does. You’re fucking right. That’s her! 

PRAGMA: 

[VERY EXCITED;} 

What on Albion do you mean? 

MONICA:

She is the one we rescued. We didn’t know who she was. She was weak and broken and frail, but alive. 

PRAGMA: 

Forsooth?! 

MONICA: 

She’d been trapped for a really long fucking time. Her power almost spent. But I asked . . . no, [SADLY] I made her open a door for me to get through. To find Jake. 

PRAGMA: 

To find your love. I . . . as much as it pains me, I understand. But she is well and alive? 

MONICA: 

I don’t know how well she is, but she is very much alive. 

PRAGMA: 

[RELIEF:] 

Oh, thank you. This brings me such joy. My hope is now everlasting. One day she will return to Albion. To my arms. 

MONICA: 

And if . . . no, when I find Jake, and when I make it back to the OstiumNetwork, I will do everything within my power to get her back to you. I promise. PRAGMA: 

[EMOTIONAL , SOMEWHAT GIDDY:]

Oh, you are too kind and wonderful. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Would . . . would it be possible to give you something? A trinket to take with you? To give to her when you meet again? 

MONICA: 

Hell yes! Of course. Actually, I need to bring something back with me fromAlbion. 

PRAGMA: 

Then I give you this. 

[SOUNDS OF HANDING OVER ITEM] 

MONICA: 

A ring? It’s beautiful. Special. Must mean a lot of you. 

PRAGMA: 

Thýra gave it to me on our first anniversary. 

MONICA: 

You guys are married? That’s wonderful! 

PRAGMA: 

We are wedded, yes. But this was for a . . . different kind of anniversary. But just as meaningful. 

MONICA: 

Okay. Gotcha. Thank you. I will keep it safe and give it to her as soon as we meet again. I vow it. 

PRAGMA:

Thank you. Thank you so much. She will know where it came from and it will give her hope, just as you have given me the same. 

MONICA: 

Looks like I came to just the right place. It was . . . wonderful meeting you and maybe, hopefully we will meet again one day? With you and Thýra. PRAGMA: 

I would like that very much. Safe travels. 

MONICA: 

Thank you. And . . . stay safe. So when she comes back to Albion you’ll be right here waiting for her. 

PRAGMA: 

Oh, I most certainly will. 

[DOOR OPENING, CLOSING] 

[BREAK] 

PRAGMA NARRATION: 

When she is gone I feel a momentary loss, but this is soon overcome by the bursting sense of hope within me. What a fortuitous meeting to have happen to me on this day of all days. I will eagerly now return to the palace and my duties, my faith restored in what will one day come to pass. In time.

MONICA: 

Whelp. It was just a matter of time. With me traveling through all these  doors, it was bound to happen eventually. Still, it’s really hard to take in and  believe, but . . . I finally ended up in a fucking post-apocalyptic hellscape! 

Okay. That might be a bit too harsh. Everything still seems to be here  and in one piece, for the most part. But I can hear occasional explosions in the  far distance, and the smoke plumes tell me there are some pyromaniacs out  there having fun. And I know they’re all fucking dudes doing it. I’ve seen a few  people, all with that deer in the headlights look, and don’t fucking touch me or  come closer vibe, mixed with a healthy dose of please, I don’t wanna die! 

And just when I thought I’d made a terrible mistake . . . Well, I already knew this was simply the next in a series of mistakes, and had serious  thoughts about getting the heck out of this hellhole – see what I did there? – I  run into Jo Prendergast and her gang of truly awesome women. [Break] 

JO:  

Location update. We finally made it to the next town, it took forever. It’s  been at least a week of serious traveling, lots and lots and lots of farking hills.  Scout acted like it was farking nothing. Stomping up an incline with so much  confidence that she almost ran into a mountain lion. Yuppp. She backed away  from it with the same amount of confidence. Speaking of almost pooping  ourselves, bathrooms have been particularly rough this part of the trip. We’ve been doing this a while now. I’ve got my routine down. Even my pooping.  Though I need to make sure I’m far, far away from the rest of the group. It’s  just that the ground is a lot more rocky and hard to dig a hole in. Not that  Scout cares, she barely goes behind a tree and makes us all move away unless  we want to hear things we really don’t want to hear. Jee-Hyun . . . Er . . . Jee Hyun . . . I’ve never seen her . . . I don’t know if she pees, or when, she  probably does it late at night when we’re all asleep. Or just intimidates her  bladder till it evaporates.  

So I’m happy to be in a town again, somewhere where we can fake civility  and go in the premade holes of the bathrooms that once be, even if every toilet ever is backed up for eternity. But also, no running into mountain lions when  trying to do your business. But before we even made it inside the building we  ran into a very strange woman named Monica. 

[Break] 

MONICA: 

As if the blatant arson and triggering of various ordnance in nearby  towns wasn’t enough, I swear I’m hearing growls from the nearby hills that  might just be a fucking mountain lion.  

How do I know it’s a mountain lion?  

Well, what else could it be? 

No! Don’t answer that.

That’s why I’m creeping around town like I’m expecting someone to jump  out and point a machine gun at my face. And that’s when I see the small group  of women 

I’m hesitant at first. These women look like they’ve been through a lot.  They look tough. They look . . . Badass. I assume Jo’s the leader because she’s  the first person I talk to, but nothing against Jo – she’s great and all – yet it  doesn’t take me long to realize why she’s hanging out with the others. Elliot is  knitting a scarf and seems really chill, the sort of person you really want  around when the world is ending and you’re trying not to lose it; they also  know a lot of stuff, seem to have an answer for everything. Very useful.  

I get along with Scout right away. She has a great laugh. Tough as nails. The kind of person you want with you in a dark alley, because whatever shit is  going on there, she’s got your back and front and makes it so you don’t have to  worry. Someone else might think her kinda crass, a little over the top, but she’s  my kinda of gal. She also has an answer for everything, whether you want one  or not. 

Then there’s Jee-Hyun. She doesn’t say much. Next to nothing, actually.  A handful of kinda murmured words. But the way she looks at me; studies her  surroundings. I’ve seen her type before. Back in the Ostium Network. Smart.  Really smart. Brilliant. And calculating. If Scout is the person who deals with  any shit coming your way, Jee-Hyun is the one who can get you out of any  bind or problem you’re stuck in. She’s a Houdini and a sharp-shooter and the  one who can make a weapon out of anything, all rolled into one. 

A hot McGuyver if you will, not that he wasn’t easy on the eyes too. And then there’s Jo Prendergast. The chronicler. There’s got to be one.  When it’s the end of the world, and only a few remaining souls traveling the  roads, eking out a living, with the will to carry on and keep going; to live to tell  the tale; there’s got to be someone to remember the story. Record the events  and happenings for posterity. To make it so everything’s not completely  forgotten. To provide the details for anyone else who comes along, who wants to  know what happened. Also you can be ready if you get stuck in the same  situation again. 

Don’t worry. The significance of all this is not lost on me. Jake is a chronicler, just like Jo. He’s been doing the same thing from the very  beginning, recording and preserving the tales of Ostium, and what he did there.  What we did there. So we know and can remember and can refer. So others  can know too. Steve did the same thing, even when he was Dave . . . Especially  when he was Dave. He thought he knew his past, what’d happened to him, but  obviously wasn’t completely sure. Not to mention the deal with his parents  disappearing on him. So when he set out on a new journey, a personal journey  and a physical one, he needed to record it. So he would know and remember  and be able to pass it on to other people. 

And then there’s me. Who wanted more than Jake doing his recordings.  Who wanted to start her own daily journal . . . Well, maybe not daily, but it was  definitely a “dear diary” situation. And it started with me even before Jake,  back in the Ostium Network. The entries I would record every night after a long fucking day of work and learning. And when I was all alone in Ostium, I know  for a fact doing those recordings are what got me through all that, and what  ultimately led me to figuring a way out of Ostium and back to the Rock. Would I still be stuck there if I didn’t have those recordings? 

Definitely. 

But sometimes . . . Sometimes I get the sense we’re all doing this for  another reason, these recordings. And here I include all the interesting people  I’ve met in my joyriding through the doors of Ostium so far: Thomas and Kalila,  and now Jo, and probably whoever else I’m going to run into during these  travels. We’re all telling and recording our stories not just for ourselves, or even  the people we’re with . . . It’s almost like . . . Like we’re doing it for some  imaginary audience out there that’s somehow listening in. I think Jake actually  joked about that once or twice. His many listeners, even when he was stuck on  an untethered Ostium, he still acted like those listeners were still out there,  waiting for the next entry, the next installment, the next episode . . . [Break] 

JO: 

Location update. We need a break, so we’re resting in this cute little  house for a bit. Scout tried to body slam the door open, I think she was trying  to impress Monica, but Jee-Hyun ended up kicking it open with ease. Not to be  outdone, Scout walked in and threw her axe into one of the pillars. So hard  that she got it stuck in the pillar. As she was trying to yank it out, Jee-Hyun  was like, “No axe throwing in the house.” 

Monica is an . . . Interesting person. Not exactly a weirdo but she  seems…like she hasn’t been doing this long. Surviving all this. For instance,  once we went through the usual intros of I’m not gonna hurt you, you not  gonna hurt me? Okay! We offered her a bit of one of our MREs and she farking  pounced on it. No one pounces on an MRE, no matter how starving you are. .  She said she couldn’t remember the last time she ate anything and would  really farking appreciate some grub. Well, she actually said fu- the F word. A  lot. Maybe even more than Scout. I bet that’s why she likes her.  

Scout found one can of beans and we all got excited about a change of  food, even Monica, she’s learning fast. Elliot gutted the stove to make a pretty  decent fire to cook the beans on. And as we ate, Monica told her story, and . .  . it was farking weird, fellow survivors.  

She said she was a time traveler. A farking time traveler!! Now that’s a  new one. She was sort of lost. Okay, she said sorta lost but from the sound of  it, she’s really, really lost. Going through doors and ending up in different times  and places. She never knew where she was going to end up. It was a surprise  to her every time. She’s apparently looking for a guy named Jake, who’s also  lost. Also going through doors. They’re both trying to find their way back to  some place called Ostium, which I’ve never heard of. She also said she was  collecting trinkets along the way. Talismans. I’m pretty sure those two words  aren’t interchangeable but I have no way of checking. But we all just kinda let  her talk. Just nodded and let ourselves have dinner and a show. 

I mean, hey, we all gotta tell ourselves something to keep surviving all  this, right?  

Scout gave a big dramatic yawn which was the signal for all of us to  hunker down for the night. She was asleep and snoring by the time Jee-Hyun  offered first watch. Monica made it clear she was ready to move on, pulling the  classic stand up and look at the door, I’m leaving the party move. Said  something about going through another door, sure “time traveler.” She said her  goodbyes, gave the sleeping Scout a gentle pat, and when it was my turn, she  had some questions for me.  

[Break] 

MONICA: Why do you do the broadcasts ? Do you think there’s someone  or a bunch of someones out there listening? 

JO: Oh I know there are! I’ve talked to my friend Dave, there’s this other  woman on the radio, I think I once heard 

MONICA: No. Not just them. But others. Lots of others, who are always  there. Waiting for your next recording, your next entry. Wanting to know what  all of you choose to do next. 

JO: Uhhh, I hope not? I kinda get a bit personal.  

MONICA: Yeah. It’s fucking weird, isn’t it? I’m not sure what I’m really  saying. I’ve just got this feeling. Kinda like you get when you’re being watched.  Except this is about recordings. They’re always there, listening to them.  Waiting for more. 

JO: Okay. Monica. Well . . . It was really nice to meet you.

MONICA: And you, Jo. Thanks again for the food. Oh fuck, I still need to  find a talisman from here. 

JO: Umm, I’ve got . . . I’ve got this that I know I’m not gonna need  anytime soon. 

MONICA: A condom? Silky Skin. Yikes. Still in its wrapper. Where the  hell did you get this from? 

JO: Er . . . We helped out a bunch of sex workers aways back. And they  just gave it to me, even though I didn’t want it. 

MONICA: Wow. Okay. Are those teeth marks? Now I kinda wanna stay  and hear this whole story, but I know I’ve gotta go. Maybe I can find your entry  for it somewhere out there where all our recordings go . . . 

JO: Okay . . . Monica. Stay safe, fellow survivor. 

MONICA: Will do. Thanks Jo. 

[BREAK] 

JO: 

Location update. Still in the house, I’m having trouble sleeping. Partly  because Scout’s on guard duty and she’s been humming “back in time.” But mostly because I saw something . . . something weird when Monica left. She  turned back to me. Winked at me, which totally didn’t make me feel anything.  Then opened the door and stepped through. And for a second . . . Just a  second, Ad oculus, I saw something else. Like metal, maybe a metal wall with a  window. And I swear, I saw farking space through that window. Like I was  looking through the window of a starship.

Ooof, okay, my stomach hurts, maybe those beans were a little too  expired.  

Well, talking about it made me feel a bit better. Maybe I can sleep.  Catch you on the next frequency, Jo out.

[JAKE:]

Have you ever ended up in a place – a building – where you can immediately tell what sort of place you’re in; what the climate is like outside . . . Whether it’s hot and arid or cold and icy? The building and its insides appear to absorb the conditions of the place where it’s located. I’m in one of those right now. As soon as I stepped through the door I got the sense for it: the stark, concrete walls and floor; the stark, limited furniture; the harsh whiteness of the light; and the physical temperature of the place. Everything feels cold and uninviting, which leads me to infer I’m in a very cold place. I’m just going to take a stab in the dark here and guess we’re in . . . Antarctica. 

Yeah, feels about right.

So let’s go find out. 

[Short break]

It’s way too bright in here. Starting to feel like I’m in some sort of prison, but like in some weird hidden place that no one knows exists, and keeping you in constantly, blinding light is one of the forms of torture . . . Or I’m in an asylum. Hopefully not Arkham Asylum. I walk down a staircase into a dim hallway with lots of closed doors. I feel I’m in my element here. You know, with all the doors and the walking. Like I’ve done this . . . A lot of times before, so I’m calm . . . Cool and collected, emphasis on cool. Actually, I’m more cold and collected.

Where do these doors lead? To store rooms and closets and bedrooms? Or will one lead me to the edge of the universe, while another takes me to a pressurized village at the bottom of the Pacific ocean? And of course, none of them will be Ostium. None of them will take me back to Gibraltar. None of them will return me to Steve, Zhang . . . [Sadly] Or Monica. 

But if there’s anything I’ve learned through all this . . . It’s that I can’t give up.

And that’s when I start to hearing a humming. 

[MATTHEW HUMMING TUNE, MAYBE THE STATION BLUE THEME SONG?]

It’s coming from further down the hall. I keep walking and it gets louder. I don’t recognize the song at all. It’s kind of haunting, but . . . In a good way. Nice and minor. It’s calming in a way. Makes me feel . . . Less worried about the state I’m in. I guess. And then I’m at a set of double doors where it’s coming from. I reach for the handle to open the door, then stop. 

No. That’s not right.

Instead, I knock three times, then step back and wait.

[Short break]

Seconds pass. I start to wonder if I need to knock again, and then there’s a clanking sound and the door opens. There’s a man standing there on crutches with a bandage covering his forehead, and he looks . . . Fucking terrified. 

I can’t blame him.

JAKE: Hi. I’m . . . Sorry if I startled you. My name’s Jake Fisher. I . . . I have this ability. I can travel through doors . . . And through time and space. I never know where I’m going to end up. And looks like this time I ended up here, in this cold place. Where are we? The Antarctic or something?

MATTHEW: We’re in Antarctica. 

JAKE: You’ve been here . . . A long time . . . by yourself. Haven’t you? 

MATTHEW: Yes. 

JAKE: So if I said I’m a sort of time traveler from a place called Ostium and I travel through time by going through different doors, and then I started being able to make my own doors, except the last time I did it, I . . . I lost concentration. Just for a second. I was exhausted. And now I’m . . . Lost in time and trying to find my way back to Ostium. Well, technically it’s the Ostium Network. But you’d be cool with that?

MATTHEW: That’s a lot to unpack. 

JAKE [laughing]: Oh, yeah, I guess it is complex. Have you ever seen Back to the Future?

MATTHEW: No. 

[Beat] 

JAKE: Oh, well they’re these great movies about time travel. In Back to the Future 2-

MATTHEW: Do you want tea? I’m making tea. 

JAKE: That would be great actually. I love tea. What kinds do you have? 

MATTHEW: Black. So what’s the Ostium Network?

JAKE: Well . . . It’s the corporation that came up with this whole time-traveling scheme. It’s on the island of Gibraltar . . .

MATTHEW: A Corporation…

JAKE: Yeah. Apparently at some point in the future, it looks like it gets blown up, but really this guy who runs the Ostium Network . . . Er . . . Somehow made it disappear from the real world and reappear on another plane of existence.

MATTHEW: That’s a little hard to believe.

JAKE: Tell me about it.

MATTHEW: You hungry? I was about to start some dinner. 

JAKE: That sounds great. I can’t actually remember the last time I ate anything, but you just mentioning food made me realize I’m starving.

MATTHEW: Good. It’s not going to fancy but hot food beats cold cereal. 

JAKE: Sounds great.

[Cooking sounds]

MATTHEW: So you’ve been time traveling. Using doors. And you can’t get back to your home. How are you holding up with all that?

JAKE: You know, I haven’t really taken a second to stop and actually take stock of how I’m doing. Everything’s been so hectic. I guess . . . Stressed. Definitely stressed. And lost too. I mean . . . I may never get back to Ostium. This might be the rest of my life now: traveling through worlds looking for a way home. 

MATTHEW: That sounds horrible. 

JAKE: I’m doing what I did before. Collecting  . . . Er, I don’t know exactly what you’d call them: trinkets? Talismans? Little things, objects, that I bring back with me. In Ostium there’s a map table showing where all the doors are. And that’s what we did before. Brought those trinkets back and put them on the map table. And then some crazy shit would usually happen.

[Matthew serves the food]

MATTHEW [Sitting down]: We?

JAKE: Yeah. Her name’s Monica. She was also traveling through the doors. Looking for her son. And she eventually found him. And we were all together. For the first time. It was going great. And then we had to deal with . . . Something that was causing these rifts. And we took care of that too. Monica and I. Kicked its ass basically. And that’s when I screwed up and lost them. Lost. Monica.

MATTHEW: She means a lot to you doesn’t she?

JAKE [chuckle]: Yeah. I’m still very much in love with her. Even though she did some . . . questionable things that she thought were helping me, and were helping her continue looking for her son. They weren’t the best choices she ever made, but she thought they were the right ones. 

MATTHEW: Does she love you?

JAKE [breath]: I think so . . . Yeah, she does. At the end there before we had to deal with the big bad, we were okay. Things were right again. And then . . . [sad] I lost her.

MATTHEW: Maybe she’s looking for you, like she was looking for her son.

JAKE: Huh . . . I never thought of that. I don’t know. It’s possible.

MATTHEW: Maybe she’s doing what you’re doing: going through doors, trying to find you.

JAKE: That would be amazing and, honestly, totally like Monica. This food is great by the way.

MATTHEW: It’s not bad in the cold when you’re hungry and it’s your only option. Didn’t you say you could create your own doors?

JAKE: Yeah, I did. But that last time, when it got screwed up and I ended up somewhere I didn’t decide . . . I don’t really know what happened, but I can’t do it anymore. I remember how I did it, but when I try nothing happens. It’s like in the Subtle Knife . . .

MATTHEW [shock]: What! What did you say?

JAKE: The Subtle Knife. It’s a book by Philip Pullman.

MATTHEW [anger]: I know what the Subtle Knife is. It’s my favorite book. Why are you talking about it?

JAKE [confused at Matthew’s anger]: It’s . . . The knife. It can cut through reality. Take you to another dimension. And then the knife breaks and it doesn’t work anymore. I couldn’t help thinking it’s kind of similar to my situation.

MATTHEW: Oh… sorry, it’s just . . ..

JAKE: Your favorite book. It’s one of my favorites too. I love the whole trilogy. I can remember reading it for the first time and each book just blew my mind. As soon as I was done I just had to tell someone how great they are . . .

MATTHEW: Yeah. Someone very important shared those books with me. 

JAKE: Who was it?

MATTHEW: Sarah. 

JAKE: She sounds like a special person. Sarah.

MATTHEW [breath]: She was one of kind. 

JAKE: Was?

MATTHEW: The tea should be ready.

JAKE: I didn’t mean to upset you.  

MATTHEW: It’s fine.

[He gets up, puts something in the tea and sets it down in front of Jake]

MATTHEW: Here. Drink up.

JAKE: Thank you. I understand if you don’t want to talk about Sarah. 

MATTHEW: It’s just… she’s far away. And there’s just not a lot I can do about that here.

JAKE: At the bottom of the world. As far away as possible from anyone else on the planet. 

MATTHEW: Yes. Exactly. 

JAKE: You can’t stay here forever.

MATTHEW: Recent events would disagree with you. Your tea is getting cold.

[Jake drinks some more then sets his cup down]

JAKE: Was it worth it?

MATTHEW: Was what worth it? 

JAKE: If you never see Sarah again. Never get to reconnect. If you never have anyone else in your life like her. Are you okay with that after having the time that you did together?

MATTHEW: [to himself] I don’t know. Eventually the pain… do you want to see the first book she bought me? The Subtle Knife? I have it in my dorm. 

JAKE: That’s sounds wonderful.

MATTHEW: I’ll be back in a minute. Finally getting the hang of these crutches. Finish your tea.

[JAKE:] I sat there and thought about Monica. Matthew’s tea wasn’t as good as hers, even if it was nice to have a hot drink in a place like this. Were we ever going to be together again? Was she ever going to make me tea again? 

As I finished off the rest of the tea my reminiscing was interrupted by something at the bottom of my cup. It looked like a small tab of paper. Nothing like your typical tea bag.

I heard glass breaking out in the hallway. 

It was probably nothing but I figured I should go check it out. The lights started to dim a little. When I walked out of the kitchen something was different. The hall was longer than I remember it being. And at the end of it stood Matthew, a crutch in one hand, a fire axe in the other. 

MATTHEW: At first I thought you were with The Flower Company… somebody sent back to fuck with my head. Time travel? Lost with no way home? 

But then you started talking about the book. Getting me to think about Sarah. Talking about Doors. Even your name, Jake. My grandparents had a dog named Jake. You’re not with the company. You’re not real. You crawled out of The Door. 

JAKE: Matthew, put the axe, down, I am real, I’m not here to hurt you.

MATTHEW: I’ve heard that before. I won’t fall for it again. 

[JAKE:]The hall continued to stretch. The axe in Matthew’s hand started to extend in an impossible way. The lights shot off rays that glowed and dimmed with the beating of my heart. Something was wrong with my head.

JAKE [Disbelief]: You drugged me.

MATTHEW: I wondered why she left those here. Now I understand.  

JAKE: I’ll leave! Just let me leave and I won’t bother you again!

MATTHEW: Can’t risk it.

[JAKE:]He came at me. Even though he looked far away I knew my perception wasn’t accurate. I turned and ran; at least I tried to. My balance would swing me forward, then back. I would normally be able to outrun him without trouble, what with his broken leg and all, but the hallucinations were getting worse. The doors around me were shaking like hundreds of people were trapped behind them and trying to break out. The lights poured liquid radiance over the ground. I tried holding on to a wall, it melted in; breathed against my grip. The whole station was alive, trying to eat me. 

I needed to get out of here. But I still needed an artifact. 

I turned the corner and opened the first door I saw. It was a storage closet, and there on top of a cabinet was the exact thing I needed. A clay white rabbit. A grabbed it and fled back to the hall, only to trip on something. Matthew’s crutch. 

I rolled over and saw him looming above me, only it wasn’t quite him, his mouth had taken over his entire face, it opened into an endless voice, his broken leg had white bird wings sprouting from it, the hall curved around him as he brought down the axe.

I barely rolled out of the way. 

The next thing I knew I was running down the hall, or was it a tunnel? I could almost feel the grass sprouting from the ground, the ticking of a pocket watch. I clutched the white rabbit in my hand and thought of Alice in Wonderland. I saw a large rabbit hole to my left and I took it. Matthew’s voice came from every surface except for one, a Door at the end of the rabbit hole.

MATTHEW: [distorted] You won’t trick me again! You won’t lure me in! I’ll be waiting for you! You hear me!? I’LL BE WAITING!

The Door was reflective. Like a mirror. I used my ability to create an escape. Through the looking glass I went, leaving Antarctica and its prisoner forever.

[A bright day in late spring, birds chirp nearby, wind rustles 

through the leaves.] 

                         NARRATOR

            I awoke with sun spilling on my 

            face. Above me was the collapsed roof 

            of a small cabin. Moss, and small 

            plants had already begun reclaiming 

            this area; sprouts of grass poked up from
            between floor boards. Vines wrapped themselves 

            around the rusted metal frames of bunk 

            beds long forgotten. I blinked the 

            dreariness out of my eyes. The warm 

            sun a welcoming sign; a kinder 

            awaking than I’d had in the past, but 

            I knew first impressions were often 

            deceiving. 

[Monica gets to her feet, floorboards creaking beneath her feet.]

                         NARRATOR (cont’d)

            Despite the collapsed roof, the rest 

            of the cabin seemed to be fully intact 

            That’s when my mind started 

            catching up everything. 

            Why was the roof collapsed?

            How long had this cabin 

            been left to rot? What was on the 

            other side of the cabin’s door?

[The door creaks open, heavy rusted hinges groan for the first 

time in a long time.] 

                         NARRATOR (cont’d)

            A summer camp. An old one, lost to 

            time. In the center of a dirt lot 

            stood a tall totem pole with various 

            caricatures of animals. Next to it, a 

            dusty tattered American flag hung limply. 

            Across the lot were three other 

            cabins, in much better shape than 

            this one, and to my right, a large 

            building with rusted “gold” lettering 

            that read “mess hall.”

[Monica steps down the cabin steps.] 

                         NARRATOR (cont’d)

            Judging by trees, and distant outlines 

            of mountains, and the familiar flag, I 

            figure I must be somewhere in the 

            Rockies. Maybe as far up as 

            Washington, or as low as New Mexico. 

            Then there’s the fair weather, and light 

            breeze. I assume I’m somewhere near 

            Colorado or Utah. Any further north, 

            and the warm sun would be outdone by 

            the cold wind. 

[Monica walks around the gravel patch between cabins.]

                         NARRATOR (cont’d)

            Behind the cabin I awoke in is a 

            crystal clear lake, extending at least 

            a few hundred feet before meeting more 

            trees. In the distance, I can’t 

            quite make it out, but it looks like 

            something yellow. A small triangle. A 

            few of them in fact. 

            Disregarding them, I turn and spott a cabin I 

            hadn’t seen before. Right next to the 

            dining hall. It’s large, looking 

            much more lavish than the six small 

            cabins circles around the totem pole. 

            As I head towards it I see something 

            that gives me pause: The front door is 

            splintered at the handle, as if forced 

            open. The windows shattered, and large 

            muddy footprints walk around the 

            exterior of the cabin. I feel a lump 

            forming in my stomach. Fucking great.

            As I enter the cabin, my suspicions 

            are confirmed. Everything points to 

            signs of a struggle. Overturned 

            cabinets, remnants of broken 

            glass, and a few bloody marks across 

            the walls. 

            As my eyes scan the room, they come 

            to rest on a desk sitting between 

            two broken windows. On it is a 

            collection of yellowed pages, likely 

            worn by the elements, and a bulletin 

            board with similarly yellowed 

            newspaper snippets. 

                         MONICA

            Maybe… Maybe this will help.

[Glass and leaves crunching under footsteps, wood groaning 

with each step.]

                         NARRATOR

            The bulletin board has seen much 

            better days: dirt has started to 

            obscure the print, and wear away at 

            the photos, but one decaying slip of 

            paper, hanging in the center of 

            everything else tells me all I need 

            to know.

                         MONICA

            “Camp Clarity Camper Gone Missing.”

                         NARRATOR

            I read on.

                         MONICA

            Tuesday, July 25, 1972, Joseph, age 

            nine, went missing the night before 

            Camp Clarity’s program was set to end. 

            The rest of the children have been 

            brought back into town and the U.S. 

            Forest Rangers have already begun 

            searching the nearby woods.

                         NARRATOR

            I start looking at the other 

            clippings, trying to discover 

            everything I can as quickly as I 

            can, and then I hear the crunch of 

            glass behind me. Before I turn 

            around, a bag is pulled down over my face, 

            and I’m pushed to the ground. I 

            can feel a knee pressing into the 

            center of my back. Glass and twigs 

            dig into my chest, feeling like  

            small sharp teeth. 

[GEORGIA: Maybe you could record some groans and moans as Monica is being subdued to create more of a feel]

                         OFFICER

            What’s your name?

                         NARRATOR

            [Slightly muffled:] Monica.

                         OFFICER

            Why are you here?

[Hesitation for a couple seconds]

                         NARRATOR

            [Slightly muffled:] I’m just a tourist!

                         OFFICER

            Yeah? You miss the fences and warning 

            signs all around the camp?

                         NARRATOR

            The yellow triangles, of fucking course! I 

            should’ve known. But even if I was 

            trespassing would that be reason 

            enough to put a fucking bag over my head and . . .

[Handcuffs clink behind Monica’s back.]

                         NARRATOR (cont’d)

            Handcuffs. Great.

                         OFFICER

            C’mon. To your feet, “Monica.”

                         NARRATOR

            The man with a gruff voice pulls me 

            up by my restraints, and keeping one 

            firm hand on the cuffs, puts the other 

            on my shoulder, guiding me out of 

            the cabin.

                         MONICA

            I’m sorry if I was trespassing. I came 

            in the night and I didn’t even see the 

            signs . . .

                         OFFICER

            Uh-huh.

                         MONICA

            I woke up in one of the cabins-

                         OFFICER

            You slept here?

                         MONICA

            Yeah, just wanted to get under some 

            shelter-

                         OFFICER

            Huh. 

                         NARRATOR

            He’s not buying it. My ham-fisted 

            attempt at a lie is just backfiring.

                         OFFICER

            Where’s your stuff?

                         MONICA

            My stuff?

                         OFFICER

            Yeah, if you’re a camper, where’s your 

            gear? Backpack, food, sleeping bag? 

            We’re miles away from a highway, even 

            further from a city. 

                         MONICA

            Oh, uhm, I-

                         OFFICER

            See “Monica” I think you somehow sneaked 

            past all our security measures. And I 

            want to know how.

                         NARRATOR

            Lies obviously won’t work on this 

            man, so I resort to the truth. 

                         MONICA

            Would you believe I teleported here?

                         OFFICER

            Actually, I would. And that’s why I’m 

            taking you to my boss. You see, there 

            exist two possibilities. 1. Someone 

            sent you here using technology similar 

            to what my employer has been working 

            on, or 2. You’re something from the 

            technology we’re working on. In either 

            case, they’re going to want to talk to 

            you.

                         MONICA

            Who’s going to want to talk to me?

                         OFFICER

            If you’re lucky, Hicks. If you’re not, 

            The Bugs. 

                         NARRATOR

            I’m left in a stunned silence, 

            trying to understand what kind of 

            place this door has taken me to. I 

            try to ask more questions, but it 

            seems my captor is in no mood to 

            talk, as he silently marches me up a 

            growingly steep hill. It isn’t until now 

            I realize how fucking hard it is to hike 

            without having your arms at your sides. 

            Multiple times along our route I lose 

            my balance, and either fall or am 

            held up by my captor. He seems to 

            show no remorse either way, despite 

            the growing number of bruises and 

            scrapes on me. He remains stoically 

            silent. 

            Then, we reach the mine. Oh shit.

SC. 2

[Cave SFX, light water droplets, a slight echo.] 

                         NARRATOR

            I can feel the heavy, damp air 

            on my skin, and the darkness 

            swallows us up whole as we proceed 

            without hesitation into the mountain. 

            It feels like we have been walking for 

            well over an hour: my legs are 

            throbbing; the blood from my 

            scraped knees is sticking my pants  

            to me. And it hurts. I’ve been on many adventures 

            in risky situations, but this time it 

            Just feels worse. Escape seems 

            hopeless. Then I feel a tug on my 

            cuffs.

                         OFFICER

            Stop here.

                         MONICA

            Are we… there?

                         OFFICER

            Shush. 

                         NARRATOR

            I do as instructed. Around me I can 

            only hear dripping water somewhere

            far into the cave, and a man’s steady, 

            disconcerting breathing behind me. 

                         OFFICER

            Something’s not right.

                         NARRATOR

            A chill runs down my spine. He sounds 

            scared. Something’s not right. 

            He takes his hand off me, and I 

            hear the click of his radio.

                         OFFICER

            Base, this is Vulture 2-6. I’m in 

            possession of an intruder and 

            approaching the Mine entrance. I heard 

            movement somewhere near the collapse. 

            I’m requesting an additional unit, 

            over.

                         RADIO

                    (Through static)

            Confirmed, we read you Vulture. Hawk 

            and Mole nearby. Please wait.

There’s a short pause.

                         RADIO (cont’d)

            Alright Vulture, units are en route, 

            ETA five. Over.

                         OFFICER

            Affirmative base. I’m going to-

[Small rocks fall nearby.]

                         NARRATOR

            Before my captor can finish, I hear 

            rocks shift, and then light footsteps.

                         OFFICER

            Fuck.

                    (Into radio)

            Base: hostiles approaching.

                         RADIO

            Affirmative Vulture, additional units 

            en route.

                         NARRATOR

            What the hell does that mean?

            I hear the man draw his gun from 

            its holster, and then feel it press 

            against the nape of my neck.

                         OFFICER

            Are these your compatriots?

                         MONICA

            No. I swear: I came alone!

                         OFFICER

            I don’t believe- Agh!

                         NARRATOR

            Suddenly the gun is gone, along with 

            the man.

                         MONICA

            Hello?

                         OFFICER

                    (Injured, groaning)

            Get back! All of you!

[Officer fires twice, waits, then fires again]

                         SHADOWS

                    (Hiss)

                         NARRATOR

            At the sound of gunfire I throw myself 

            to the floor, which is a big mistake, as I 

            end up slamming my injured knees to 

            the ground and banging my head on the 

            rock wall I can’t. The pain comes to  

            me as more of a surprise than any 

            actual serious injury and after a 

            moment I’m able to get my bearings. 

            I can’t make out much with the bag
over my head, except for movement.  

                         MONICA

            What’s going on?!

                         OFFICER

            I think- I think they’re gone… 

            Fucking monsters.

                         MONICA

            What did they look like?

                         OFFICER

            Just shadows… 

[The sound of dirt skidding nearby]

                         OFFICER (cont’d)

            No you don’t!

[Another gunshot.]

                         OFFICER (cont’d)

                    (Grunts as he is 

                    sliced and stabbed)

                         NARRATOR

            I don’t need to see to know what 

            happening: the sound of meat being 

            sliced and blood flowing makes it 

            clear. Okay. My captor’s dead, and I’m 

            likely next. I can sense three, no, 

            five, maybe eight sets of slow 

            footsteps coming at me from every 

            angle. Having nowhere to run I push 

            myself against the stone wall, hoping 

            for the best.

            Then I felt a sickly chill come over 

            my body as a freezing hand touches my 

            shoulder. It’s small, no bigger than 

            that of a child. It feels as if the 

            hand isn’t actually pressed against me, but 

            rather has sunk into me, like ice 

            cutting into my skin, and for a moment 

            I think maybe that is exactly what is

            happening. It takes me a second to 

            realize the shadow is trying to move 

            me away from the wall. I do just 

            this, and a moment later I feel 

            the tension in my wrists release as 

            the handcuff chain is snapped. I 

            immediately reach up to pull the bag 

            off my head, and as I do hear the 

            faintest sound of wind blowing past 

            me. 

            By the time the bag is off my 

            sweaty, matted hair, my rescuers are 

            gone. 

            I look over to my captor, trying to 

            avert my eyes from his wounds, but 

            searching for- Yes- On his belt, two 

            small silver keys hang from a loop. I 

            unlock each cuff, allowing blood to 

            flow back into my hands. 

            In the distance I hear footsteps 

            coming from where we first entered the cave. 

            I need to get the fuck out of here. But to where?

Looking into the darkness I find only 

            a wall of rocks, likely where the 

            “collapse” had been. I reach out to 

            grab one of the smaller rocks, and 

            my hand passes right through it.

Keeping a strong grip on the handcuff keys, 

            I take a step forward and feel the rest of 

            my body pass through the seemingly

            solid wall. 

This must be the door.

I walk forward, my eyes unable to adjust as 

            the light slowly seeps out of the 

            world, and plunges me into darkness.

JAKE:

Stepping through the door, the first sense to activate is my nose. 

Smoke.

I look around. I’m inside a home. Windows and doors and solid walls. So basically the home is doing its job of keeping all the outside stuff . . . Outside and ditto with the inside stuff in. We’re not talking hermetic, airtight seals here, but the only stuff that might’ve got in was when I opened the door and came through, so that would be stuff from my previous world.

So why does it smell like I’m standing insight a lit cigarette?

Okay, a little hyperbole there. But only in that it’s pretty much physically impossible to do what I just said. Nevertheless, the smell of smoke in this house is . . . Beyond pervasive. It’s in everything. The furniture. The fixtures. The walls. It’s just part of this house. 

I look out the window and I can see why. It looks . . . Foggy out there. Kind of dark. Everything shrouded. Except I can tell by the distorted, filtered light that it’s not fog but smoke. A lot of smoke. Giving it that post-apocalyptic zombie-movie feel. 

I know it’s smoke out there because I’ve seen conditions like this before. I’ve personally experienced them.

If you’re from California, as I’ve said before, you’re likely familiar with earthquakes. There’s another thing you’re probably familiar with on some level. 

Wildfires.

[Break]

You might think that smoke is smoke, and comes in only one variety. You’d be wrong. Each type of smoke has its own makeup, its own melange . . . It’s own chemical cocktail if you will. They all smell different. You’ve got your distinctive barbecue flavor. The wood-burning fireplace scent. The campfire in the woods particular bouquet. They’re all specific smells. And for the most part, people enjoy some or all of them. You can’t beat the sharp woody scent of a wood-burning fire on a frosty morning, or an icy night. It unavoidably congers images of warm cozy homes with hot chocolate and smores.

Wildfires are a little different. They’re uncontrolled. They’re . . . Out of control. Sure, there are such things as controlled fires that the forestry service conducts to prevent future raging wildfires, but they’re usually on the small scale. The thing about a wildfire is that once it gets going – especially when it’s in the middle of nowhere – it gets going fast. Add a good strong wind and it becomes an uncontrollable beast, consuming acres and acres of forest in a short amount of time. And with that raging fire comes an immense amount of smoke. These types of wildfires definitely have an effect on people, and again for the most part, they’re in very rural or even undeveloped areas, so we’re not talking about a lot of people. 

And sometimes these wildfires can be so wild that they race into a nearby town or urban area, and then you’ve got a big problem on your hands. I’ve personally seen the devastating effects from these fires. In October of 2017 the Tubbs fire ripped through Napa and Sonoma counties, in Northern California, burning 36,810 acres. 22 people were killed. 5,643 structures were destroyed, including 2,800 homes in Santa Rosa. The damage was estimated at $1.2 billion. It was the second most destructive fire in California’s history. Second, because the most destructive fire in California’s history happened the following year. In November of 2018, the Camp Fire ripped through Butte County, just a few hours further north, burning 153,336 acres. 86 people were killed. It destroyed 18,804 structures. The retirement town of Paradise no longer exists because of it. The damage was estimated at $7.5 – 10 billion.

So why am I giving you this brief history lesson and spouting all these facts at you? Well, I’m Jake Fisher, so you should be used to this sort of treatment by now. 

Okay, only kidding. I know that’s no excuse.

It’s the smoke.

You know what barbecue smoke smells like. It’s pretty recognizable. Same thing with campfires. That particular woody burning smell. Can’t beat it. 

But a wildfire . . . That’s just a recognizable, but instead of being familiar and comforting, it’s fucking terrifying. Especially when you’ve spent weeks going to work wearing a smoke mask as you leave your home, riding BART, and in the elevator up to your floor. Then you take it off; for a moment the suffocating smoke smell is even stronger, then it finally dissipates. The AC has done its job and you can work. Then, at the end of the day, you get back in the elevator and head to the ground floor and pretty soon you start noticing the smoke, breathing it in. You forgot about it. The mask is out and back on and then you’re out walking in the thick smoke fog again back to your home. And now you’re thinking what an insensitive asshole you are for bitching about having to deal with all the smoke, when there are literally thousands of people who no longer have a place to live, and ten of others who were burned to death, trapped in their very childhood homes.

The scent is a capsule of all these memories and thoughts and emotions. Much like Ebenezer Scrooge experienced when he returned via the ghost of Christmas past to his old boarding school, except these feelings and recollections are nothing but pain and badness. And now to be in a world where this is just everyday life . . . Possibly? I don’t know and maybe I don’t want to know.

[Door unlocking, opening and slamming closed]

[Footsteps]

JAKE [whispering]: Oh shit.

RHANA: Who the fuck are you?

JAKE: Ummm . . .

RHANA: Who the fuck are you? Answer me!

JAKE: I’m . . . My name is Jake Fisher.

RHANA: And what are you doing here?

JAKE: It’s . . . It’s kind of a long story.

RHANA: How did you get inside? It was locked. I unlocked it.

JAKE: That’s . . . Part of the long story.

RHANA [getting angry]: Well, you better start telling me that story, or I’m gunna start wailing on your ass.

JAKE [trying to calm Rhana down]: Okay, okay. Take it easy. I don’t mean any harm. I’m . . . [whisper] God, I’m so sick of saying this. [end whisper] I’m from another world. I . . .

RHANA [furious]: Bullshit!

JAKE: [Sigh] It’s true.

RHANA: Fucking bullshit.

JAKE: Smell me.

RHANA [shocked]: What? What the hell did you just say?

JAKE: Smell me. 

RHANA: Now why would I do that?

JAKE: Because I don’t smell like you . . . No, it’s not what you think. I don’t smell like I from here. From this world. I don’t smell of smoke.

RHANA [disbelief]: Really? But . . . How I can trust you? How do I know you won’t just smack me upside the head the second I get close to you?

JAKE: Because I won’t, but I know that’s not good enough. Here. I’ll sit on the couch. Put my hands under my legs. That way if I try anything you’ve got time to jump out of the way.

RHANA: Or punch you in the face.

JAKE [amused]: Yeah, I guess. Or that.

RHANA: Okay. Do that.

[Sitting sound]

JAKE: What’s your name? As I said, I’m Jake.

RHANA: Rhana.

JAKE: That’s a really pretty name.

RHANA: Thank you. Now stay the fuck still.

JAKE: Yes ma’am.

RHANA: Don’t fucking call me that.

JAKE: No m—, sorry Rhana. I won’t.

RHANA: [emphatic sniffing sound] [disbelief:] Holy shit. [another sniffing sound] Holy fucking shit. You’re right! I don’t smell smoke!

JAKE: Told ya.

RHANA: I smell . . . Other things. Food. And oil. And sweat.

JAKE: Er, yeah, sorry about that. I’ve been . . . Traveling for a long while. Haven’t really had the chance to shower.

RHANA: Huh, no shit. I’d offer you one, but water is kind of a precious resource here.

JAKE: So there’s really smoke all the time?

RHANA: Yes! Where the fuck have you . . . Oh right. It started out like all fires do, except they didn’t get stopped and kept getting bigger. Whole towns went up. Then cities. A lot of people died. Burned to a crisp. You can’t go outside now without a mask. Unless you’ve given up and want to go the hard way.

JAKE: Fuck that’s brutal. I can’t . . . I can’t imagine a world like that.

RHANA: Your world isn’t like that?

JAKE: No. None of the worlds I’ve visited have ever been like this one.

RHANA: Starless.

JAKE: Huh?

RHANA: Starless. It’s what I call this world now. Because I don’t see the stars anymore.

JAKE: Jesus. I’m so sorry. 

RHANA: How do you do it? Get from world to world?

JAKE: It’s . . . It’s nothing to do with me. At leased I don’t think it is. There’s this place called Ostium where it all started. And these doors lead to different places in time, different worlds. And now I’m trying to find my way back to Ostium. Trying to find that right door.

RHANA: So it could be this one?

JAKE: Yes, it could be. I never know until I go through.

RHANA: Well we better get you out of this world and into the next one. How much time do you have?

JAKE: A little. 

RHANA: How do you know?

JAKE: It’s a sense I have. I am sort of connected with this whole Ostium thing, though I don’t really know how.

RHANA: Damn that’s messed up. Okay. You need to get on your way.

JAKE: Thank you, Rhana. For . . . For believing me. For helping me.

RHANA: You’re welcome.

JAKE: This all could’ve gone a very different way. Why do you trust me?

RHANA: [breath] Because . . . Because I have to. I have to believe . . . I have to believe there are better worlds than this one. And you are my hope. My belief.

JAKE: That’s beautiful. 

RHANA: Aw, shucks. Now, get a move on.

JAKE: Actually, there’s a little favor I need. I’ve been bringing back little trinkets from each of the worlds I visit. Something that has meaning to this place. To . . . Starless.

RHANA [serious]: That helps . . . A little. Here, I’ve got this. [Taking something from a box] 

JAKE: What is it? A charred piece of wood?

RHANA: It’s . . . A memento. From the house I grew up in. Burned to the ground like everything fucking else in this world. But I wanted to keep a piece. Thought it would be sentimental, but honestly, I haven’t thought about it or looked at it in ages.

JAKE: Thank you again, Rhana. That’s perfect. And for what it’s worth: don’t give up. You’re alive. There might be somewhere out there that’s still standing. Where there’s no smoke.

RHANA: You read my mind, man. I think about that every time I go to bed at night. And every morning I’m thankful I’ve got another day to try and find it.

JAKE: I’d offer to take you with me, but I don’t think the laws of the universe would allow it. Plus, you probably wouldn’t come.

RHANA: Damn right I wouldn’t. I belong here. In Starless. 

JAKE: Well, see you in another life, maybe. Rhana: it was a pleasure meeting you.

RHANA: You too Jake.

JAKE: Thanks.

[Door opening, door closing].

RHANA [quietly]: There’s gotta be a better world than this one.

Penelope Dyer as QILA

Dwayne Farver as Alan

Georgia Mckenzie as Monica

[The scene starts in the black void.  There is a low wind, barely audible.  We hear “the sound” – a ringing (like tinnitus) starting low and quickly getting louder, it ends in an echoing or pulsing crescendo that quickly fades to nothing.]

(Struggling)

Alan – [out of breath, heavy breathing]

(annoyed – but definitely joking)

QILA – And that’s why we can’t have nice things

(faux anger then concern then humor)

Alan – Sure!  Go to the deep past, she says.  What could go wrong, she says!  I never gained full control of the body.  Their leader was fighting me!  They thought I was a messenger from whatever God they were worshiping!   Oh no — I didn’t start a religion, did I?  Because I can go back? (laughing)

(Joking, then standard QILA)

QILA – I think they’re confused enough by one visit as their shaman.  A quick scan of their timeline shows no appreciable changes.  But it’s good to know that a forceful personality is more difficult to slip into.

[A new sound begins. low, growing, as similar to the sound of the TARDIS as possible, without violating copyright]

(Confused)

Alan – What the!  QILA, what is making this sound?

(standard QILA)

QILA – Unknown.  I believe we’re getting a visitor.

[sound ends]

(frustrated/confused – shocked)

Monica – Where am I now?  And where’s the ground?

(meek)

Alan – Ahem.

(shocked – confused)

Monica – Whoa!  Where did you come from?

(concerned)

Alan – I didn’t want to alarm you.  You’re safe here.  But, uh, who are you?  How did you get here?

(confused – annoyed)

Monica – Safe is a relative term, but I’m Monica and I have no idea how I got here.

(curious)

Monica – So, who are you?  How did you get here?  Where is here?

(friendly – then awkward)

Alan – I’m sorry, I’m Alan.  And this place was created as I died.  Oh, but, that’s not how it usually happens.

(confused)

Monica – What are you saying?

(frustrated)

Alan – I’m not explaining this well.  QILA, can you help?

(confused)

Monica – Quill-a?

(standard QILA)

QILA – Hello Monica, it’s nice to meet you.  I’m QILA.  Quantum Interpretive and Learning Algorithms.  The location where you now find yourself is a null pocket; removed from normal space-time.  It is better described as a place of thought, rather than normal definitions of dimension.  Alan gained the ability to move his mind though time.  Since his corporeal existence ended, this is where his mind returns by default.  I – am an Artificial Intelligence he met on one of his journeys.

(inquisitive)

Monica – Uh huh.  Time travel.  So, Alan.  You’re here.  At least your mind is.  How is an artificial intelligence here, if this place is defined by thought?

(proud)

QILA – My existence is no longer defined by hardware.  I am – self-aware.  I continue to grow and learn.  Your mind is here, but your body is elsewhere.

(flat)

Monica – Fair enough.

(questioning)

QILA – Monica?  I didn’t think anyone but Alan could enter here.  Can you provide any information about how you arrived here?

(embarrassed)

Alan – Yeah, that might be my fault.  As I was returning, I felt something strange.  It was like walking through water.  Sluggish.  I thought it was because I was so far in the past, so I just used more effort to get back. But, I think I picked up a passenger on my way.

(excited)

Alan – Monica, that must mean – you’re a time traveler!  I don’t think I would have been able to pull you here otherwise.

(inquisitive/studious)

Monica – I was part of a team that used technology to open doors to other places and times.  But Jake, he was able to create doors without the technology.  And now I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again.

(concerned)

Alan – Why do you say that?

(serious)

Monica – He was being a hero, like always.  To protect me, he sacrificed himself.  And we’re both lost.  I’ve been trying to find him.  I’m not sure if we’ll ever get back to The Ostium Network.

(excited)

Alan – Wait, The Ostium Network?  Is that related to the town of Ostium?

(confused)

Monica – Yes.  It was constructed to house the doors.

(excited)

Alan – QILA, this is the town you found.  The town with the “population zero” sign.

(confused)

Monica – You’ve seen Ostium?

(standard)

QILA – I will open the window to show you.

[subtle chime]

(standard)

QILA – This is focused on the door that we saw open.

(melancholy)

Monica – Door 2.  It seems like so long ago.  That’s definitely Ostium.

(thinking)

Alan – But where did I snag you?  We need to get you back there.  To your body.  QILA, is there anything we can do?  If I know where to go, maybe Monica will be pulled along with me.

(amused)

QILA – Way ahead of you.  You’re going back to New San Francisco.  To the field, just after you left the body of Thomas Redwind.

(confused)

Monica – After you did what now?

(meek)

Alan – For lack of a better word, I “borrow” a body when I travel through time. 

(exasperated)

Monica – Okay.  Morally ambiguous, but if you can get me back, let’s go.

(Excited)

Alan – QILA, I’ll be right back.

[sound – begins again. grows fast]

[a small crowd is in the distance.  we’re far enough away that nothing specific can be heard]

[a larger version of a drone flies overhead]

(worried)

Alan – Okay, where is Monica? [walking]  Down this path.  There, that building.  [opens door] 

(questioning)

Alan – Monica?  It’s me, Alan.  Are you okay?

(confused from the journey)

Monica – Let’s just say, I’ll stick to the technology I know.  

(questioning)

Alan – Speaking of that …

(looking around the room – seeing the Ostium door down the hall)

Monica – Right, hmmm.  There, down the hall.

 [walking.]

(excited)

Alan – There’s actually a sign above the door that says “Ostium?”  

[Tries to open door (it’s locked) ]  

(confused / scared)

Monica – They’re never locked!

(excited)

Alan – Ummm,  [(looks around, pats pockets) – finds security badge] Here, lets try this access badge. (under breath) Thanks QILA. security officer was a good call.

[door beeps, unlocks and open]  

(excited)

Alan – Monica, here.  Take the security badge.  And, good luck finding Jake.

(optimistic)

Monica – Thanks Alan.  I hope you know what you’re doing here.  Your heart seems like it’s in the right place.  And, maybe we’ll cross paths again.  But I won’t recognize you, will I?

(sly)

Alan – Probably not, but you never know.  I’m working on that too.
[Ostium door closes]

INTRO SKIT: 

TAYLOR: Middle/Below is rated “PG” and contains mild threat, and mild language.

JAKE: Ooh, so I’ll have to watch my f-bombs.

TAYLOR: Yes, you will. 

JAKE: It’s all Monica’s fault really.

TAYLOR: Okay. This is where we usually say something funny, so go ahead.

JAKE: Something funny.

[Break]

JAKE: Well, this is different. It’s all foggy and hazy, sort of like that alternate Ostium place where that crone thing took me. I gotta admit, I was real excited at first. I even thought I’d made it back to Ostium, or at least that alternate version, which at least put me in the Ostium ballpark and from there I could work my way back to the Ostium Network. But less than thirty seconds later I can tell this definitely isn’t any version of Ostium, but something completely new. 

Because a ghost has just materialized out of the ether right in front of me . . . and he’s talking to me.

[Break]

GIL: Hello. Are you okay?

JAKE: I . . . Think so. How about yourself?

GIL: No too bad, considering I’m a ghost.

JAKE: Yeah, I noticed that. And you’re also admitting it. So I can’t claim I’m having a mental episode or something?

GIL: No, not really. When you’re in the Below, ghosts are pretty much a guarantee. Also, you sound like you’re from America?

JAKE: Yeah. I am. And now I’m in the . . . Below you said?  

GIL: Yes. Normally, people like you are in the Middle. But now you appear to be in the Below, which isn’t right.

JAKE: People like me?

GIL: Yes. Not ghosts, like me.

JAKE: Ahh, I see . . . Sort of. I think. I’m Jake by the way. So am I the first . . . Er . . . Living being to be in the Below?

GIL: Oh, hi Jake, I’m Gil. Actually we prefer the term “corporeal entity,” while us ghosts are “incorporeal entities.” [Can switch out these terms to more exact ones]. And no, you’re not the first; actually we have your types down here all the time.

JAKE: All the time? So it’s no biggie me being in the Below?

GIL: Oh no, it’s very dangerous. You could easily be killed by just about anything.

JAKE: Even . . . By you?

GIL: Oh, I don’t know. No one’s ever asked me to kill them before. I expect I could. If I really tried.

JAKE: Well, let’s not find out. Okay?

GIL: Okay.

JAKE: So what should I do not to get killed in the Below?

GIL: Stay out of trouble.

JAKE: And how do I do that exactly?

GIL: I’m not really sure. But I do know someone who can help. His name’s Taylor.

JAKE: Is he a ghost too?

GIL: Oh no. He’s from the Middle. Like you.

JAKE: Oh yeah. That would be good. Can you get him . . . Here?

GIL: Sure. Be back in a bit.

And before my very eyes, Gil discorporates and I’m all alone. It’s then I take in more details of where I am. There’s a disconcerting quiet about the place. A coldness that feels like it’s starting to sink into my very bones. It’s probably not going to be long before I start shivering. It’s not exactly dark here – like the other Ostium – but definitely on the dingy side, like you’re in a lighted room with some strong sunglasses on and you just want to take them off so you can see better. And as I’m looking around in the distance, I think I’m starting to see movement. Wisps of white making themselves known . . . To me no doubt.

I sure hope this Taylor guy shows up soon.

[Break]

[Buttering Toast]

TAYLOR: You know, I really like toast.

[SANS MEOWING]

TAYLOR: No, you can’t have any. 

[GIL SUDDENLY APPEARING]

GIL: Taylor! Taylor! You need to go to the Below!

TAYLOR: Hi Gil. You know, I really wish you’d knock or something, instead of just surprising me all the time. What if I was naked?

GIL: I’m a ghost, remember? Can’t touch anything. Can’t knock on any doors or walls. Anyway, why would you be naked?

TAYLOR: I believe you said something about my needing to go to the Below?

GIL: Oh, yes. There’s a guy down there. One of you mortals. An American.

TAYLOR: A Yank? What’s he doing down there?

GIL: I don’t know. He sounds pretty scared actually. I said you could help and that made him a bit happier.

TAYLOR: Let me get my bag.

[Break]

JAKE: I’ve moved into the shadows, under the overhang of an old building. Through windows I can see lots of boxy shapes. I think this place might’ve once been an arcade of some sort. But I’m pretty hidden here and it’s intentional. Those wisps of white I mentioned earlier turned into a bunch of class-five free-roaming vapors. They didn’t see me; at least I don’t think they did. 

They’re still hovering around now, a little bit closer, but still far enough away that my heart-rate’s only going double the usual rate.

And then a door opens nearby and I almost jump out of my skin. It’s a tall, thin guy who looks really pale. Oh, and that ghost I saw earlier. Gil. Hopefully this is Taylor.

TAYLOR: Gil, go see if you can do something about your friends over there.

GIL: They’re not my friends. I’ve never met them in my life.

TAYLOR: You know what I mean. Go deal with them, please.

GIL: Alright. If I can.

TAYLOR: Hi, I’m Taylor. And you are?

JAKE: Jake. And really glad to see you. Gil said this is the . . . Below?

TAYLOR: Yes. And we need to get you back to the Middle.

JAKE: The Middle? So like the land of the living? Middle . . . Earth if you will?

TAYLOR: That’s actually pretty funny. I might start using that. Do you mind if I do?

JAKE: Be my guest. So if there’s a Middle and a Below, is there an Above?

TAYLOR: Yes.

JAKE: What’s that place like?

TAYLOR: I don’t know. I only deal with the Middle and the Below and making sure the right people and beings are where they’re supposed to be.

JAKE: Wow, so kind of a superpower? Cool. So do you magic them from the Below to the Middle and vice-versa?

TAYLOR: Not exactly. Usually I use doors.

JAKE: Oh really. I’m very familiar with that process. It’s how I ended up here from my time.

TAYLOR: Your . . . Time?

JAKE: Yeah, I’m kind of a time-traveler. Started at a place called Ostium and each door there takes me to a different place in time. Only now I’m trying to get back there. And so far . . .

TAYLOR: No luck?

JAKE: No. I keep ending up in all these different worlds and meeting some incredible people, like yourself, but my goal is still to get back there. 

TAYLOR: Okay, Jake. I could question everything you just said, but it looks like it’s been a very long day for you and I’d rather get back to my toast. So I’ll help you.

JAKE: Thank you. I really appreciate it.

GIL: I got rid of them for you.

TAYLOR: Thank you Gil. We’re about to send Jake on his way.

GIL: Leaving so soon?

JAKE: Yeah, I’m ready to get out of this . . . Unfriendly place.

GIL: Hey, this is my home.

JAKE: Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any insult . . .

GIL: I’m only kidding. It is my home, but the Below is no place for those who don’t belong here.

TAYLOR: Alright, let’s get a move on them.

JAKE: Actually, I’ve got one last favor to ask: I need a little memento from the Below. Each world I’ve visited I’ve brought something from back with me. Not exactly sure why yet, but I have a feeling it’s going to be important.

TAYLOR: I’ve got just the thing.

[Looking in bag]

TAYLOR: Here you go.

JAKE: A yo-yo?

GIL: Another one? How many of those do you have?

TAYLOR: Lots. You never know when you’re going to need one.

JAKE: This is perfect. Thank you, Taylor. Thanks Gil. For all your help. I’m ready now.

[Door opening sound]

TAYLOR: After you Jake. Go on through.

[Short pause]

[Door closing sound]

JAKE: Where am I now? Is that a cat?

[SANS MEOWING]

JAKE: Oh hi, I’m Jake. 

[SANS MEOWING]

JAKE: Good to meet you. I’m actually trying to find my way out. 

[SANS MEOWING]

JAKE: Yeah, I guess I can try the door I just came through. Wait! Do you . . .

[SANS MEOWING]

JAKE: You know about traveling through doors, like I do?

[SANS MEOWING]

JAKE: You know about Ostium?

[SANS MEOWING]

JAKE: That’s incredible. Well, I really need to get going.

[SANS MEOWING]

JAKE: No, you coming with me would not be a good idea.

[SANS MEOWING]

JAKE: Thanks for understanding.

[SANS MEOWING]

JAKE: It was a pleasure meeting you too. Maybe we’ll meet again in another life . . . Behind another door?

[SANS MEOWING]

[Door opening, then closing]

INTRO:

Hey everyone, Alex C. Telander here. Little bit of housekeeping before we get today’s episode started. Firstly, thank you so much for continuing to listen to Ostium. With everyone going on right now, Team Ostium hope it provides a nice warm light during these pretty bleak times. That being said, we will be going on our first mid-season hiatus with the release of the next episode after this one. I want to give all our future crossover shows every opportunity to get their side of the recording done, but I also understand this is really hard right now. So we’ll be going on a three month break and returning with Episode 52 on September 6th. We also want send out a massive thank you to all our Patrons who continue to support the show, without you we wouldn’t be able to pay our actors, or have a website, or many other things that keep the lights on for the Ostium Network. So thank you. And Team Ostium wants to extend an extra large thank you and warm welcome to our newest patron, Nse. Okay, enough chitchat, let’s get this milestone started: I without further ado I give you Ostium Episode 50: Guild of Adventurers.

Scene: 1 – The Luminarium (Dark)

(Monica arrives in the city of dorestir to nothing but blackness, standing the basement level hidden section of the “guild of adventurers” – the luminarium)

MONICA

Fucking great, it’s pitch black. [Beat] Hellooooooo?

SOUND: “hello” echoes and silence

MONICA

[Pause for response] Nothing… I’ve got a light here somewhere.

SOUND: lighter being “flicked on” and lights

MONICA

Oh… great… now I can see I’m in a fucking stone room. [Beat] HELLOO?!

SOUND: “hello” echoes and silence

MONICA

[Sigh] Let’s assume no one’s coming to my rescue – that’d fit with the rest of my life. So, Monica, you can’t be in here for no reason, let’s figure it out.

Scene: 2 – Interior Guild Hall

(The guild hall has been in a state of disrepair for decades. now after helping lady Illiana Alvingham defeat her evil brother Artemis, she has instigated a time of repair and renovation of this dilapidated building)

SOUND: Sawing, hammering, general “work”

GRINFOLD

[Content] Ah Lt Dan, can you imagine in only a few more weeks this whole Guild hall will hardly be recognizable.

LT DAN

Oh I know Captain! It’s definitely a step up from when I first joined!

GRINFOLD

[Laughing] Me too, me too…. Not in my many years here have I seen the guild looking so amazing. Ahhh, Daniella… Um, I mean, Lieutenant.

LT DAN

It’s OK captain, I’m not a stickler for titles.

GRINFOLD

I suppose you’re right, maybe when it’s just us, you can call me Marcus.

LT DAN

I would be honoured sir.

GRINFOLD

Marcus.

LT DAN

Marcus. [Awkward Silence] Well the stone masons are about to start! These rather worn flagstones will be smooth and shiny in no time!

GRINFOLD

True enough, let’s not stand in their way!

SOUND: Stone cutting, chipping

Scene: 3 – The Luminarium

SOUND: Muffled stone cutting, chipping

MONICA

What the fuck is that noise? [Beat] Hello?! Can anybody hear me?

SOUND: Hitting stone wall

MONICA

This is just fucking great. I get to a new place and it turns out to be a dead end. FUCK!

SOUND: Hitting stone wall repeatedly

SOUND: Stone wall shifting

MONICA

Hey! This wall moves!

SOUND: footsteps fading

Scene: 4 – Interior Guild Hall

SOUND: Continued stone work

GRINFOLD

So [pause for stone work] how long do you think they’ll be working on the flooring?

LT DAN

Assuming there’s not [pause for stone work] unforeseen delays? It wouldn’t take them more than a day or two.

GRINFOLD

Maybe [pause for stone work] I should take everyone away for a few days [pause for stone work], until the noise subsides.

LT DAN

That may be a good idea Cap – ah, Marcus, we could always see if Lady’s Illiana’s manor has a spare room or two? Maybe some R&R is just the thing we all need… [cut off]

SOUND: Wilhelm scream

SOUND: stonework crumbling and collapsing

SOUND: running footsteps

GRINFOLD

[Panting] What happened?!

LT DAN

It looks like the floor just gave way!

GRINFOLD

Dammit! Is everyone OK?

LT DAN

Yes, I think it just surprised everyone.

GRINFOLD

Good, but I know Setta won’t be happy! [Beat] Lieutenant!

LT DAN

Yes Marcus?

GRINFOLD

Captain now Lieutenant. Can you please go and find Setta and apologize? I’m sure she won’t be happy about rubble ending up in her tunnels.

LT DAN

[Chuckles] Yes Captain, I’ll go an [cuts off]

MONICA

[Muffled Shouting] Helloooo?!

LT DAN

Did you hear that? It’s coming from the hole.

GRINFOLD

Lieutenant, a torch.

SOUND: Flint on stone, lighting

LT DAN

Here Captain.

GRINFOLD

It looks like [beat] a staircase? Heading downwards! [Confused] This isn’t the sewer system.

MONICA

[Muffled Shouting] Is there anyone up there?

GRINFOLD

[Shouting] We’re coming, hold on!

MONICA

[Muffled – partly to herself] Oh thank fuck.

SOUND: Stepping down the staircase

GRINFOLD

Hmmm, a door… at the end of a staircase… underneath the Guild… [Shouting] Are you OK in there?

MONICA

[Muffled] Not particularly! Can you get this door open?

SOUND: Door rattling

GRINFOLD

[Shouting] It’s locked on this side!

MONICA

[Muffled] I was hoping you’d have the key!

GRINFOLD

[Shouting] I know just the thing. [beat] Mercer?!

SOUND: Robotic footsteps getting closer and stop

MERCER

Captain?

GRINFOLD

Get down here, I need you to open a door.

SOUND: Robotic Footsteps

MERCER

Captain?

GRINFOLD

It’s locked Mercer, I don’t have a key, and there’s someone trapped inside… Can you please, ah, smash it in with extreme prejudice.

MERCER

[Serious] When this door opens it can never be shut again.

GRINFOLD

I’m sure we can make another one.

SOUND: Mercer turning

MERCER

That, is not what I meant Captain… 

SOUND: Mercer turning

SOUND: “powering up”

SOUND: Door contact and smashing

MERCER

Can you feel it Captain?

GRINFOLD

What are you talking about?

MERCER

The calling, can you feel the calling?

MONICA

[Coughing from the dust]

GRINFOLD

Not now Mercer! Are you OK in there?

MONICA

[slight coughing] I am now.

SOUND: Monica Stepping out of room

MONICA

[To Mercer] Woah! You’re a big one.

MERCER

And you have opened the Luminarium and sparked the beacon into the darkness.

MONICA

Is she… it? Always like this?

GRINFOLD

Always… let’s get you out of here where we can talk.

SOUND: Footsteps up staircase and into guild hall

GRINFOLD

Welcome to the Guild of Adventurers… I didn’t catch your name?

MONICA

Monica. And they called you a Captain?

GRINFOLD

THE Captain – Captain Marcus Grinfold… your name however is a strange one… you’re clearly not from Dorestir?

MONICA

[Chuckling] How can you tell?

GRINFOLD

The name, the clothes and, most importantly, the random appearing in a previously unknown sealed basement room in my Guild hall… you’re not some kind of… [trails off].

MONICA

Kind of what?

GRINFOLD

[Comically] Undead vampire lying in wait for centuries to drain the very life from our very beings?

MONICA

I fucking hope not! [Laughing]

GRINFOLD

[Laughing] Well, that’s settled then, but, how did you get down there and into MY guild?

MONICA

There’s these doors.

GRINFOLD

In a sealed room?

MONICA

OK THAT’S a tricky one, I don’t think the door, um, exists on your side.

GRINFOLD

That sounds like a very impractical door.

MONICA

Fucking tell me about it! [Sigh]

GRINFOLD

Can you at least tell me where you came from?

MONICA

I don’t suppose you’ve ever heard of Ostium?

GRINFOLD

No, but I can always check the library.

MONICA

Probably no point… on the topic of unlikely things, you haven’t had any other unfamiliar strangers come through of late?

GRINFOLD

I’m afraid not.

MONICA

Not surprised… [Longingly] I don’t know if I’ll ever find him…

GRINFOLD

I often find when I’m searching for something, looking within is the first step.

MONICA

Wow, that’s fucking deep.

GRINFOLD

But often true.

MONICA

Did you have something specific in mind, or do you often spout words of wisdom in times of need?

GRINFOLD

It’s probably easier to show you.

MONICA

Show me? Show me what?

GRINFOLD

There’s an orb and, um, let’s just say it might provide you with some inner clarity.

MONICA

Sure, what’ve I got to lose?

GRINFOLD

Follow me then. [Beat] Lieutenant?

LT DAN

[Distant, walking closer] Yes Captain?

GRINFOLD

The Lady Monica and I are just stepping out, keep an eye on things here.

LT DAN

Lady? Ah… Of course Captain… [Under her breath – bitterly] enjoy your walk with a random woman.

Scene: 5 – The Streets of Dorestir

MONICA

[Monologue] The Captain lead me out of the Guild Hall and the site outside reminded me of something from a fantasy movie. Lord of the Rings, or Game of Thrones or something like that. Cobblestone streets, carts pulling produce, a group of day drunks stumbling out of a tavern. It was certainly different from any place I’d been before, but at the same time, certain elements seemed almost . . . familiar.

SOUND: Sounds of the city of Dorestir

MONICA

[Monologue] We walked for a number of minutes, the Captain pointing out buildings here and there while we wound our way through streets and alleyways. The conversation moved onto my reasons for arriving in Dorestir, and naturally to Jake.

GRINFOLD

It sounds like he means a lot to you.

MONICA

More than I care to admit really.

GRINFOLD

It’s hard to admit how you feel for someone.

MONICA

That sounds like a loaded statement. Who have you got eyes for Captain?

GRINFOLD

[Sternly] No one…

MONICA

Ahh, the sweet sounds of denial… not just a river in Egypt.

GRINFOLD

Egypt?

MONICA

Never mind… Let me guess… Lt Dan? She certainly didn’t like the idea of the two of us heading out alone.

GRINFOLD

[Stumbling over the words] Ah, no, I mean, certainly not, she’s my subordinate.

MONICA

Hey, whatever gets you going, no judgement here.

GRINFOLD

Ah, thank goodness, we’re here!

Scene: 6 – The Memory Orb

MONICA

[Monologue] A nondescript wooden door, belonging to a nondescript building stood before us. The Captain opened the door and ushered me inside. The room was dark, except for a single light source in the centre, a blue light emanating from a small sphere and the Captain guided me over to it.

MONICA

[Trance-Like] It’s beautiful… can you… hear it?

GRINFOLD

Touch it… it can’t hurt you.

MONICA

[Trance-Like] Yes, I think I should.

MONICA

[Monologue] I don’t know what came over me, but I didn’t feel in danger, my instincts told me this sphere, this orb, wasn’t dangerous. So I reached out and as soon as my fingers made contact, the world around me changed.

SOUND: Space and time warping

MONICA

[Monologue] I was standing in a familiar place, the Captain next to me. I looked around and… I knew this place, sci-fi surroundings, red planet outside… The Martian base! And, hang on a minute, that’s me!

AUDIO: Ostium Episode 5 A.W.O.L (Insert dialogue from Ep5 time index 30:52 – 33:18)

SOUND: coming out of memory SFX

MONICA

What, the fuck, was that?

GRINFOLD

You tell me! All that metal, and what was that blackness?

MONICA

You, you could fucking see that?

GRINFOLD

Oh yes, we both experienced your memory… I am missing the necessary context, but I assume the gentlemen you so gracefully carried to bed, was Jake?

MONICA

Yes! So this sphere lets you see memories?

GRINFOLD

A memory orb, yes, not a common item in this city, but I find it does help to clarify the important things in life.

MONICA

So why did I see THAT memory?

GRINFOLD

Was there anything important in it?

MONICA

Only that it was the first time we’d sort-of-met.

GRINFOLD

Well, clearly that’s important to you!

MONICA

Can I use it again? There’s not some kind of radiation poisoning?

GRINFOLD

Other than eventual madness from overuse?

MONICA

Ahh, what?

GRINFOLD

[Chuckling] Nothing, just my little joke. [Beat] Just touch it again and it should show you more.

MONICA

Alright, here goes.

SOUND: memory orb SFX

MONICA

Oh, we’re in Ostium…

GRINFOLD

Seems nice – impressive clock tower.

MONICA

Shit! Look, that’s me, and Jake, we just kind of appeared there. Oh, this was just after the Anasazi…

AUDIO: Ostium Episode 16 Ancient Ones (Insert dialogue from Ep16 time index 28:22 – 30:21)

SOUND: memory orb SFX

GRINFOLD

[Cough] Um, that was a little awkward.

MONICA

[Laughing scornfully] you a little embarrassed by some carnal activities Captain?

GRINFOLD

Only when I’m reliving them as a part of someone else’s memory.

MONICA

Good point. I do miss him.

GRINFOLD

I can imagine.

MONICA

But I still don’t know what to do next.

GRINFOLD

You can always try again.

MONICA

OK – one last time… let’s see what you’ve got for me memory orb!

SOUND: MEMORY ORB SFX

AUDIO: Ostium Episode 26 Into the Black (Insert Monica monologue from EP26 time index 36:26 – 41:24)

SOUND: memory orb SFX

SOUND: Silence / heart beating

GRINFOLD

You’re never really alone Monica. I think that’s what these memories have been trying to tell you… Every memory you make, every chance you have to think back on who you are, where you’ve come from, and who you love, reminds you that you’re never alone.

MONICA

Thanks… I think I needed that. Thank you.

GRINFOLD

Anytime.

MONICA

Speaking of needing things. How would you feel about parting with this memory orb? Not that I think it’ll work where I’m going, but, it feels important.

GRINFOLD

I suppose I can lend it… to a friend.

MONICA

I can’t guarantee you’ll get it back… but I will take you up on the friend thing.

GRINFOLD

Then it’s a deal, but, how do you plan on getting home?

MONICA

Oh, I’m sure my door will be waiting for me.

Scene: 7 – Farewell Guild

MONICA

[Monologue] I tucked the memory orb in my pocket and we headed back through the winding streets of Dorestir, now late afternoon with the sun beginning to set. How long had I been here? We walked in silence, I could tell the Captain was processing what he’d seen in my memories, it was hard enough to have experienced them, let alone see them as an observer and try to make sense of them!

MONICA

[Monologue] We walked back into the Guild Hall, the large doors closing behind us. The hall was still lit by the setting sun outside, the rays of light coming down through a stained glass window in the roof directly over the staircase that lead to the chamber I had arrived in.

MONICA

[Monologue] I said my farewells to the hulking metallic frame of Mercer, who, despite having no controllable facial features seemed to manage a menacing glare with ease. I nodded at Lt Dan, who seemed to be trying to glare at me as hard as Mercer and I could tell she didn’t like what she thought of as competition for the Captain.

MONICA

Well, I’d better be off.

GRINFOLD

Yes, of course.

MONICA

Thanks for the memory orb!

GRINFOLD

Use it well, Monica, and good luck!

MONICA

Thanks… Marcus.

MONICA

[Monologue] I leaned in and gave the Captain a quick kiss on the cheek and Lt Dan looked like she was about to fucking explode. I’m such a bitch! Stepping down the stairwell I was back in the room I started in and, just as I thought, my door was there. I grabbed the handle, felt the weight of the orb in my pocket, opened the door, and stepped through.

Three adventurers travel the world of Kalanthus, uncovering hidden mysteries lost to the ravages of time in this story-driven, D&D based podcast.

While I have played many a D&D campaign in my younger years, I have yet to fully immerse myself in the world of actual play podcasts, fortunately my talented sound guys of Hail and Well Met Podcasts happen to do exactly this for fun in their great show. So if you’re looking for the right D&D podcast to get started with, and you enjoyed this crossover, then you’d better start at the beginning of Guild of Adventurers.

This episode was written by Tarran Merlo and Mike Nye.

The part of Monica is performed by Georgia Mckenzie.

All other parts are performed by Tarran Merlo.

Sound design was done by the same guys who wrote this episode, Hail and Well Met Podcasts. Check out more of their great work at hailandwellmetpodcasts.com.

The Ostium theme song was composed by Chris Fletcher.

Music featured in this episode is: “Arcadia,” “Lightless Dawn,” “Lobby Time,” “Lord of the Land,” “Rites,” “Symmetry,” “Higher,” “Variation on Egmont,” “Verano Sensual,” and “Wholesome” all by Kevin MacLeod. And “Cellophane Sam” by Looking Back. All under a Creative Commons license.

For a link to a transcript of this episode please check the show notes.

We’re all going through very hard times right now and we wanted to thank you first for listening to this episode. We hope you enjoyed it and we hope it provided a little merriment to your day. If you are perhaps interested in supporting the show, the best way to do that is through Patreon. Everything we make primarily goes to paying our actors for all the Ostium Network shows. We’ve got more shows planned, including an anthology series, and we want to be able to pay and support our actors. So if you can spare as little as $2 a month, that will go a long way, and also grant you access to a ton of bonus material. Just head on over to patreon.com/ostiumpodcast.

Our next episode arrives in a fortnight.